'It has made me a stronger person and a better artist': soprano Channa Malkin on juggling parenthood and her career

What are you hoping to communicate through This is not a lullaby? Why did you choose this repertoire?

When we think of music about motherhood, the first thing that comes to mind is a lullaby. We see the image of a mother peacefully rocking her baby with not a care in the world. But in reality, motherhood is not so idyllic: the sleepless nights, the huge responsibility, suddenly spending all your time caring for this tiny helpless person… It’s hard work! It’s also incredibly rewarding and inspiring. When I became a mother two years ago, I felt a depth of love that I didn’t even know existed. With This is not a lullaby, I want to share my own experience of motherhood in all its facets.

The album consists of three parts, and symbolises my journey into motherhood. First comes the song cycle Rocking the child by Mieczyslaw Weinberg, on poems by Gabriela Mistral. I randomly encountered it on one of many sleepless nights, and was immediately touched by how perfectly they expressed the beautiful, raw and authentic experience of new motherhood. 

Then come Five Russian Songs by my father, Josef Malkin, which broaden the topic of motherhood to include fatherhood and family bonds, as becoming a mother for me also meant coming closer to my own family and roots. I’m so proud that I can present these wonderful songs to the world. 

We finish with John Tavener’s Akhmatova Songs, in which poet Anna Akhmatova talks about her own work and sources of inspiration, as well as her mortality. They are not about motherhood at all, and that’s precisely the point. A mother is never just that: she is a woman with her own identity, her own interests and ambitions, whatever they may be. And that is what these songs mean for me: a return to my own identity outside of motherhood. 

What were some of the challenges in creating the album? What has been rewarding?

Normally before recording an album, I like to try out the repertoire in concert several times. For this project, we had very limited possibility to do that because of the lockdown. On the other hand, we got the amazing opportunity to record in the main hall of the Philharmonie Haarlem, one of the best acoustics of the Netherlands, precisely because of the lockdown! It has been intensely rewarding to work on these songs with pianist Artem Belogurov and cellist Maya Fridman, who are incredible musical partners. Rarely have I felt such a strong musical connection from the very first rehearsal. The recording process with engineer Brendon Heinst was such a joy as well. 

How have you found juggling your career with motherhood? You mention the contradictions of the grandeur of a performing career with the domesticity and vulnerability of being a parent. How did you navigate this?

I went back to performing 10 weeks after giving birth, going on a nationwide tour of Händel goes Tinder, the multimedia opera I co-created and produced. We did 30 shows in about a month’s time, often performing two or three times a day. This was such an intense experience, being sleep-deprived, having to pump milk in between the shows. And yet I felt so free on stage, having no time to worry about creating perfect performance conditions and just enjoying being back with my colleagues performing the music that I loved!

Yes, combining a performing career with parenthood definitely poses challenges, but it also gives so much inspiration and a richness to one’s emotional life that can’t help but bleed through in performance. I feel it has made me a stronger person and a better artist!

What advice would you give to musicians who have recently become parents?

Trust. I found the first year of parenthood to be mostly in survival mode, as the sleep deprivation can get really intense. But just trust that it will get better, that you and your partner should just take a nap instead of fight, and that you will feel like yourself again. 

Also it’s crucial to share responsibilities and for both partners to take time off after the birth. Make sure you have all the help you can get. Family, friends, a trustworthy babysitter… Get a house cleaner if you can possibly afford it (trust me, you will need it more than you need expensive baby stuff!). And just give yourself lots of grace and self-compassion! You can do this.

‘This is not a lullaby’ is out now on the TRPTK label. For more information click here.